THEMES AND PROBLEMS
MIDDLE SCHOOL
When a decision is made by a member to compete in an event, it is imperative that the member thoroughly read and understand the rules, regulations, procedures, and evaluation criteria for the chosen event(s). National TSA is responsible for addressing mistakes or discrepancies in the competitive event guides and accomplishes this through competition updates on the TSA website. National TSA is not responsible for interpreting, advising, or suggesting ways that a member might develop a viable response or solution to a competitive event challenge.
- Website Design
Website Design
Design Brief: Design and develop an informational website dedicated to a fictitious space exploration program. Your website should educate and inspire a general public audience — particularly students your age — about the mission's goals, crew, technology, and significance for the future of human space exploration.
HIGH SCHOOL
- Photographic Technology
- Prepared Presentation
- Promotional Design
- Robotics
- Software Development
- STEM Mass Media
- Structural Design and Engineering
- Transportation Modeling
Photographic Technology
Theme: Behind the scenes
Prepared Presentation
Promotional Design
Theme: Milestone Diner, a new retro-inspired American diner, is preparing for its grand opening. You have been hired to create a cohesive brand identity and promotional materials that celebrate the diner's nostalgic 1978 inspiration while attracting today's customers. The restaurant's branding should reflect a nostalgic late-1970s aesthetic while remaining inviting, family-friendly, and appealing to a modern audience.
The following items are the required design pieces:
Item #1 – Restaurant Logo
Design a logo for Milestone Diner. The logo should be submitted enlarged on an 8.5" × 11" sheet of paper (portrait or landscape, designer's choice). The logo should establish the restaurant's visual identity and be appropriate for use across all required promotional materials.
Item #2 – Restaurant Menu
Design a bifold restaurant menu for Milestone Diner using tabloid-size paper (11" × 17"). The menu should be designed so the front and back panels are correctly positioned for printing and folding. Participants should create original menu item names, descriptions, and pricing appropriate for a classic American diner.
Item #3 – General Manager Business Card
Design a single-sided business card for the General Manager of Milestone Diner. The business card should reflect the restaurant's established brand identity while presenting the required contact information in a professional, well-organized layout.
Item #4 – Instagram Grand Opening Advertisement
Design a static Instagram graphic (4:5 vertical ratio) promoting the Grand Opening of Milestone Diner. The advertisement should capture attention, encourage attendance, and maintain the restaurant's established visual identity.
Use the following details for the design challenge:
Restaurant Name: Milestone Diner
Address: 1978 Celebration Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32819
Phone: (407) 555-1978
General Manager: Delmar Olson
Email: manager@milestonediner.com
Grand Opening Date: July 1, 2027
Robotics
Software Development
Develop a software application that improves how people learn, teach, practice, or develop new skills. Competitors should identify an educational or training challenge affecting learners of any age and design an engaging, effective, and user-centered software solution.
STEM Mass Media
Headline: Scientists link human right-handedness to walking upright and brain evolution
Most humans favor their right hand, but scientists have long debated why this pattern is so common across cultures. Unlike humans, other primates do not show the same strong population-wide preference for one hand. A new Oxford-led study published in PLOS Biology suggests that human right-handedness may be connected to two major steps in human evolution: walking upright on two legs and the expansion of the brain. Researchers analyzed data from 2,025 individuals across 41 species of monkeys and apes, using evolutionary modeling to compare possible explanations for handedness, including tool use, diet, habitat, body size, social behavior, brain size, and locomotion. Their findings suggest that as early human ancestors became more fully bipedal and developed larger brains, right-handedness became increasingly common. The study also raises new questions about why left-handedness still exists and whether similar patterns of limb preference in other animals may have evolved in comparable ways.
Prompt:
Based on the following headline, develop a news broadcast that includes an introduction of the headline, a summary of the information in the news story, and an explanation of potential future implications of the highlighted work.
Structural Design and Engineering
Transportation Modeling